Queen Letizia and Crown Princess Mary Wore Two Very Different Tiaras for a State Banquet in Denmark

The Spanish royals are in Denmark tonight for a state banquet at Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen, and both Spain's Queen Letizia and Denmark's Crown Princess Mary are showing off some shine for the occasion, albeit in very different styles. In a nod to the formality of the event, both of the royal ladies opted to wear tiaras, but while Letizia opted with an eye-catching statement piece, Mary chose a more paired back sparkler.

In Letizia's case, the topper in question is the Spanish Fleur-de-Lys Tiara, sometimes known simply as "La Buena"—"the good one"—which was given in 1906 by Spain's King Alfonso XIII to his bride, Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (a granddaughter of Queen Victoria) later known as Queen Ena. As the name suggests, the piece features a large central fleurs-de-lys motif, a symbol of the House of Borbon, Spain's ruling family.

The tiara is part of a larger set of jewels, known as the Joyas de Pasar, which include, among other items, a set of earrings and matching diamond bracelets, one of which Letizia donned for the evening. While the queen has worn the coordinating earrings with the tiara before, tonight she instead chose to wear a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings that have historically been a favorite of her mother-in-law Queen Sofia. Letizia walked with her husband, King Felipe, and Denmark's Queen Margrethe into the state banquet. (Margrethe herself wore the Danish Emerald Parure tiara)

While Letizia opted for pieces with a long royal history, Mary instead wore an early 1900s tiara she reportedly purchased for herself. The ruby, diamond, and spinel piece was a necklace when Mary acquired it in 2012, and the princess has worn it as such before having the setting refitted as a tiara. Since then, it's become a favorite of Mary's for formal events, including tonight's state banquet where she paired it with circular drop earrings and a glittering pewter-toned gown with transparent details.

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